1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a viewing control server and a viewing control method.
2. Related Art
In an environment in which multiple printers are managed, operating information about each printer is collected by a server over a network, and the printers are managed by monitoring (remotely monitoring) the collected operating information.
To enable printer customers to view the operating information related to the customer's printers in this type of management system, customers must be previously linked to their own printers. The inputs required to make these links in the related art must be manually input for each printer. The process is therefore tedious and prone to input errors. Security measures are also required to prevent operating information leaking to third parties when viewing the information.
JP-A-2007-280248 describes a server configured to accept new user registration requests when a new user registration request related to a used product is received from a user that does not already have a device (is not registered) and a transfer request from the user registered as the current owner of a device is stored in a storage device. However, if the originally registered owner of the device sells the device without registering a transfer request, the new owner of the device may be able to view the operating information from before the device was sold. A means of easily knowing a change in the status of the printer, such as that the printer was transferred to another party, to assist in appropriate management and viewing is therefore needed.